Grooming For Good Health

Grooming doesn't just help a rabbit look good, it helps it feel good.

Article and photos by Caroline Charland

Grooming your rabbit can be quite a task. The little, rascally rabbits often run the other way and hide when you come toward them with nail trimmers and a brush. But, with a little practice and patience, grooming your rabbit can turn into quality time for both of you.

Clean That HabitatRabbits are very clean animals and don’t like to be dirty. A rabbit grooms itself many times a day. But sometimes it can be hard for a rabbit to keep clean if the area it lives in is not kept clean.

A rabbit’s living area should include a big litter box, big enough for your rabbit to lay down in stretched out. Inside the litter box should be rabbit-safe litter on the bottom, then grass hay such as timothy, piled on top. Rabbits don’t only use their litter box as a bathroom, they also sit in there to graze on the hay, lay down and take a nap, play and groom in there. If you don’t keep the litter box clean, your rabbit will get urine stains on the bottom of its paws, tail and tummy, plus it won’t want to use the litter box. Completely clean and change the litter box every other day. The more rabbits living together, the bigger the litter boxes should be and, with three or more rabbits, the litter boxes must be changed more often, sometimes every day.

For the full article, pick up the 2012 issue of Rabbits USA or click here to buy the issue.

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